1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid detergent composition. More specifically, it relates to a liquid detergent composition containing a specified salt of an alpha-sulfonated fatty acid and an poly(oxyethylene) alkyl ether sulfuric acid in a specified weight ratio to thereby prevent the formation of film of the poly(oxyethylene) alkyl ether sulfate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Salts of alpha-sulfonated fatty acid are used as the dialkali salt form for solid detergents, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 38-3265 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 49-116106. It is well-known in the art that the disodium salts of alpha-sulfonated fatty acids themselves do not exhibit good detergent characteristics due to the fact that they are only slightly soluble in water. For this reason, the disodium salts of alpha-sulfonated fatty acids are generally used together with other surfactants, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 47-6276 and 57-12582. However, the characteristics of the disodium salts of alpha-sulfonated fatty acids are not fully exhibited or utilized in the conventional manner.
Furthermore, aqueous solutions of the poly(oxyethylene) alkyl ether sulfates are likely to form film upon exposure to air. It is proposed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 53-92809 that the above-mentioned film formation is prevented by using, as an additive, polyethylene glycol or inorganic salts.